Evidence on the effectiveness of insecticide-treated curtains (ITCs) for reducing densities of Aedes mosquitoes, the principal vectors of dengue, is scarce. In Laem Chabang southeast of Bangkok, Thailand, the Breteau Index (BI) (number of positive containers/100 houses) was 45 in October 2006. In March 2007, we distributed long-lasting ITCs in ...

BACKGROUND: The prognosis and treatment of patients with low flow (LF) severe aortic stenosis (AS) is controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS: The PARTNER trial randomized patients with severe AS to medical management (MM) vs transcatheter (TAVR) aortic valve replacement ("inoperable" cohort) and surgery (SAVR) vs TAVR (high risk cohort). Among 971 ...

This study assessed the effects of different retrieval depths (2, 10 or 20 m), surface intervals (none or 15 min) and release methods (untreated, vented or recompressed) on the incidence of external and internal clinical signs of barotrauma (ECSB and ICSB) and post-release mortality in golden perch, Macquaria ambigua (Richardson). Fish were ...

PURPOSE: Erythropoietin (EPO) improves measures of quality of life and reduces transfusions. Clinical trials have reported higher mortality associated with higher hemoglobin targets in varied clinical settings, making difficult the selection of erythropoiesis stimulation strategies in end-stage kidney disease. Observational studies distinguishing an effect of EPO from underlying conditions are ...

: The impact of anesthetic technique on perioperative outcomes remains controversial. We studied a large national sample of primary joint arthroplasty recipients and hypothesized that neuraxial anesthesia favorably influences perioperative outcomes. : Data from approximately 400 hospitals between 2006 and 2010 were accessed. Patients who underwent primary hip or knee ...

To assess the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and outcomes in a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) cohort. We conducted a retrospective study of 5641 patients (4282 men [76%] and 1359 women [24%]; mean ± SD age, 60.0±10.3 years) with coronary artery disease who participated in CR between July 1, 1996, and February 28, ...

: Standardized mortality rates in ulcerative colitis (UC) are no different than that in the general population. Patients who are older and have more comorbidities have increased mortality. Emergent colectomy still carries 30-day mortality rates of approximately 5%. In more recent studies, UC surgery rates at 10 years from diagnosis ...

BACKGROUND: How different Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classifications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) predict mortality is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of spirometric GOLD grades and the new ABCD groups with mortality, and to compare their informativeness in relation to mortality. METHODS: We studied ...

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of continuous and intermittent methods of enteral nutrition (EN) administration on circadian rhythm. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four individuals, aged between 52 and 80 years, were fed through a nasoenteric tube. Fifteen individuals received a continuous infusion for 24 hours/d, and 19 received ...

Background: Severe sepsis and septic shock have a high 30-day mortality (10-50%), but the long-term mortality is not well described. The purpose of this study was to describe long-term mortality among patients with community-acquired severe sepsis or septic shock compared to a population-based reference cohort. Methods: Two hundred and twelve ...

BACKGROUND: The influence of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) on survival after aortic valve replacement (AVR) remains controversial. In this study, we sought to determine the effect of PPM on early (<= 30 days) and late mortality (> 30 days) after AVR or AVR combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (AVR with ...

PURPOSE: Through a prospective comparison of patients with vertebral fractures and normal population, we illustrate effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) upon projection of load distribution changes. METHODS: Vertebroplasty group (36 symptomatic patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures) was evaluated on an electronic baropodometer registering projection of weight bearing areas on feet. ...

Background: The superiority of mitral valve (MV) repair is well established with respect to long-term survival, preservation of ventricular function, and valve-related complications. The relationship between patient income level and the selection of MV procedure (repair versus replacement) has not been studied.Methods: The 2005 to 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database ...

This study evaluated the toxicity and duration of 3 residual insecticides against the Old World sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi, an important vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, on 2 types of tent material used by the US military in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Vinyl and cotton duck tent surfaces were treated ...

We investigated whether the type of anaesthesia affects mortality and length of stay after non-traumatic major lower extremity amputations. A total of 1365 eligible patients who were operated on between 2002 and 2010 were included in the final analysis. Propensity score matching was used to produce 475 matched pairs of ...

In 12 of 13 phase 3 and 4 comparative clinical trials, all-cause mortality was higher in the tigecycline group versus the comparator group. Study-level mortality risk differences were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Statistical models evaluated the association between patient-level all-cause mortality and baseline factors using logistic regression, recursive partitioning ...

OBJECTIVES: Repair of either the mitral (M) or tricuspid (T) valve in single valve surgery is associated with reduced operative mortality. It is unclear, however, how valve repair influences mortality in combined MT procedures. This topic was evaluated in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. METHODS: From 1993 through 2007, ...

Between 1994 and 1999, 217 metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasties with a low-carbide bearing surface were performed with use of the cementless Zweymüller SL-Plus stem and the Bicon-Plus threaded cup in 194 consecutive patients. After a minimum follow-up of ten years, 181 living patients (203 hips) were available for evaluation. The ...

Patients treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) for osteoarthritis (OA) and femoral neck fracture (FNF) between 1990-2007 were compared using the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS). In-hospital, post-operative complications and disposition were compared at six-year intervals to establish trends over time. A total of 2,160,061 THAs were performed for OA, ...

BACKGROUND: Ablation for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) relies upon fluoroscopy (fluoro), which exposes the patient and staff to ionizing radiation. The objective of this work was to present a new "ALARA-As Low As Reasonably Achievable" protocol with alterations to fluoroscopic x-ray parameters to reduce dose without an electroanatomical (EAM) approach. METHODS: ...

BACKGROUND: Any possible long-term benefit from endovascular (EVAR) versus open surgical repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains unproven. Long-term data from the Open Versus Endovascular Repair (OVER) trial add to the debate regarding long-term all-cause and aneurysm-related mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate 30-day and long-term ...

BACKGROUND: To assess whether income is associated with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: We used prospectively collected data from the Mayo Clinic Total Joint Registry to assess the association of income with index knee functional improvement, moderate to severe pain and moderate to severe activity ...

BACKGROUND: Young patients requiring myocardial revascularization are considered at low operative risk, but data on their outcome are scarce. This study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence and 30-day mortality of patients aged <50 years after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a multicenter study ...

BACKGROUND: The "hybrid procedure" is an alternative surgical palliation strategy for single ventricle congenital heart disease. The purported benefit is improved cognitive ability secondary to avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass in the neonatal period when neuronal apoptosis is greater. It is unknown whether survival is improved after this procedure. Intraoperative hypotension ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine if there is any real difference between complete preservation (CP) and partial preservation (PP) of the mitral valve apparatus during mitral valve replacement (MVR) in terms of hard outcomes. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CCTR, SciELO, LILACS, Google Scholar and reference lists of relevant articles were searched for clinical ...

BACKGROUND: Shoulder impingement syndrome is a common musculoskeletal complaint leading to reduced work ability. The aim of the present study was to identify predictors of long-term sick leave benefit and permanent benefits/permanently reduced work ability after arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 615 individuals undergoing ASD ...

OBJECTIVE:: Estimate the mortality impact of delay in antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation from the time of entry-into-care. DESIGN:: A state-transition Markov process model. This technique allows for assessing mortality before and after ART initiation associated with delays in ART initiation among a general population of ART eligible patients without conducting ...

BACKGROUND: Despite an increasing patient risk profile, in-hospital mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR) has declined. HYPOTHESIS: Advanced age, concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and increasing comorbidity negatively affect outcomes after AVR and do so particularly in the early months after hospital discharge, where results compare much less favorably ...

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves patients' condition in case of cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE). However, the impact of CPAP on short-term mortality remains a matter of debate. We aimed at estimating the effect of CPAP on short-term mortality in patients treated for a CPE. We pooled the data from ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical factors associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and mortality in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort of neonates with a diaphragm defect identified at 1 of 7 collaborating medical centers was studied. Echocardiograms were performed at 1 month and 3 months of ...

Purpose. This study measured the time taken for setting up the different facets of Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (ALTTO), an international phase III study being conducted in 44 participating countries.Methods. Time to regulatory authority (RA) approval, time to ethics committee/institutional review board (EC/IRB) approval, time from study approval ...

To investigate the epidemiological trends in incidence and mortality of perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) in a well-defined Norwegian population. A retrospective, population-based, single-center, consecutive cohort study of all patients diagnosed with benign perforated peptic ulcer. Included were both gastric and duodenal ulcer patients admitted to Stavanger University Hospital between January ...

BACKGROUND: Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has changed over time, with endovascular repair (EVAR) being the main technical revolution. This study assessed the effect of this change on outcome on a national basis over a 17-year interval. METHODS: Primary infrarenal AAA repairs in Swedish residents aged 50 years and ...

To determine whether emergent endovascular repair (eEVAR) can be an alternative for anatomically suitable ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAA) in a Chinese population compared to open aneurysm repair (OAR), 36 patients with RAAA undergoing either OAR or eEVAR in National Taiwan University Hospital from 2005 to 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. ...

OBJECTIVE: Major amputation is associated with increased short-term healthcare resource utilization (RU), early mortality, and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities. Our objective is to study patient-specific and SES-related predictors of long-term RU and survival after amputation. METHODS: This retrospective analysis identified 364 adult patients who underwent index major amputation for critical ...

  Of the 200 million adults worldwide who undergo noncardiac surgery each year, more than 1 million will die within 30 days.   To determine the relationship between the peak fourth-generation troponin T (TnT) measurement in the first 3 days after noncardiac surgery and 30-day mortality.   A prospective, international ...

Abstract:To determine effect on surrogate endpoints for cardiovascular disease (CVD), we performed a retrospective chart review of 114 patients seen by a multidisciplinary team that provided primary care services in a mobile clinic over 12 months. Eligible patients had outcomes available for at least six months. Mixed effect modeling examined ...

Background. Clinical benefits of ART are well documented, but less is known about its effects on economic outcomes such as work status and income in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods. Data were examined from 482 adult clients entering HIV care (257 starting ART; 225 not yet eligible for ART) in Kampala, Uganda. ...

Background  Prognosis of patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) is controversial, with a 1-year mortality rate ranging from 6% to 48%. Objective  To determine the mortality rate of a large cohort of patients with BP and to identify prognostic factors associated with early mortality. Methods  Patients diagnosed with BP between January ...

High age is associated with increased postoperative mortality, but the factors that predict mortality in older hip and knee replacement recipients are not known. Preoperative clinical and operative data on 1,998 primary total hip and knee replacements performed for osteoarthritis in patients aged ≥ 75 years in a single institution ...

OBJECTIVE: The treatment goals of access-related hand ischemia (ARHI) are to reverse symptoms and salvage the access. Many procedures have been described, but the optimal treatment strategy remains unresolved. In an effort to guide clinical decision making, this study was undertaken to document our outcomes for distal revascularization and interval ...

BACKGROUND:For nerve stimulator-guided regional anesthesia, one has to compromise between a presumed low success rate (using a high-current threshold) and a presumed increased risk of nerve damage (using a low-current threshold). We hypothesized that high-current thresholds in the range of 0.9 to 1.1 mA are not inferior with respect to ...

THE BULK OF 401(K) ASSETS CONTINUED TO BE INVESTED IN STOCKS: On average, at year-end 2011, 61 percent of 401(k) participants' assets was invested in equity securities through equity funds, the equity portion of balanced funds, and company stock. Thirty-four percent was in fixed-income securities such as stable-value investments and ...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) became an attractive alternative to surgery for patients with severe aortic stenosis and high operative risk. The first multicenter randomized trial, conducted in such high risk cohort, showed 20% reduction in mortality in the group treated with TAVI compared to those treated with medical therapy ...

PURPOSE. To examine whether it is safe to continue low-dose (100 mg/day) aspirin perioperatively as a part of standard multimodal venous thromboembolic prophylaxis for total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS. 79 women and 60 men aged 52 to 91 years who underwent THA (n=50) or TKA ...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of daily consecutive measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the initial 2 days of hospitalization on the 30-day all-cause mortality in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: We used 4 different thresholds of fractional decrease (FD) in CRP ...

There are little data that quantify the long term costs, mortality, and downstream disease after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study is to compare differences in cost and health outcomes between Medicare patients with OA who undergo TKA and those who avoid the procedure. The Medicare 5% ...

Although inpatient mortality rates following total hip arthroplasty are low, understanding factors that influence inpatient mortality rates are important. Discharge data from the 2007-2008 HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample database were used in this study. Patients were identified based on whether they were admitted for a primary total hip arthroplasty and ...

BACKGROUND: Indications for preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) in the context of hepatectomy for hilar malignancies are still debated. The aim of this study was to investigate current European practice regarding biliary drainage before hepatectomy for Klatskin tumours. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent formal or ...

To examine socioeconomic and clinical factors that may predict a longer interval between prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP). The Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database was queried for patients who underwent RP from 1990-2010. Time to surgery (TTS) was defined as the period between the most recent positive prostate biopsy ...